Renuka, Alvi appointed Congress spokespersons

New Delhi, Aug 5 (IANS) The Congress Friday appointed party leaders Renuka Chowdhury and Rashid Alvi as spokespersons and former union minister Suresh Pachauri as convenor of its research and coordination department.

Former chairperson of National Commission for Women Girija Vyas was made incharge of Vichar Vibhag department.

The announcements were made by Janardan Dwivedi, who continues to head the party’s media department.

Dwivedi said in a press statement that Congress president Sonia Gandhi has reconstituted a few departments and made a few changes in work allocation of general secretaries and secretaries.

The party entrusted Vilas Muttemwar, appointed party general secretary last month, with the responsibility of monitoring government flagship schemes and party programmes.

With the inductions of Chowdhury and Alvi, the party will now have four spokespersons.

While party spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan was inducted as minister of state (independent charge) for environment and forests in the cabinet reshuffle in July, Shakeel Ahmed was given charge of West Bengal before April-May assembly elections in the state. Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Manish Tewari continue to be party spokespersons.

The new research and coordination department includes six union ministers - Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ambika Soni, Pawan Kumar Bansal, Jairam Ramesh, Anand Sharma and Mukul Wasnik. It also has party general secretary Digvijay Singh, spokespersons Tewari and Chowdhury and party MP Sandeep Dikshit as members.

The sub-group of research and coordination department includes Pachauri as convenor apart from Bansal, Ramesh and Dikshit.

While Karan Singh will continue to head the foreign affairs department, Anand Sharma will be vice-chairman and Manish Tewari its secretary.

Vyas will also serve as editor of party mouthpiece Congress Sandesh.

The editorial board of the magazine will have Salman Khurshid and Ramesh as members.

The newly-created Hindi Department will be headed by Anil Shastri and include Pankaj Sharma as secretary.

Vishvjit P. Singh will be in charge of the computer department while Archana Dalmia will be in charge of grievances cell.

Arun Yadav, who was moved from union council of ministers to the party as secretary during last month’s cabinet reshuffle, will assist Mukul Wasnik in his work as party in charge of Rajasthan.